Notes from The Max

December News from The Max

December - and cold weather - are officially here. In between holiday shopping and seasonal parties, you may have missed some of the literary-related news in recent weeks, so here's a quick overview from The Max:

• Finalists for a couple of American Library Association Youth Media Awards have been announced. YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association, a branch of the ALA has revealed the five finalists for the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award and the William C. Morris Award, which honors a book written for teens by a previously unpublished author. The nonfiction finalists include Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing; They Call Themselves the KKK; Spies of Mississippi; The Dark Game; and Every Bone Tells a Story. The Morris finalists are: Hush; Guardian of the Dead; Hold Me Closer, Necromancer; Crossing the Tracks; and The Freak Observer. The winner will be announced at ALA's Midwinter Meeting in January, along with the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott and Printz awards.
• Saturday December 4th was the First Annual Take Your Child to a Bookstore day. The grassroots campaign was started to encourage parents and guardians to bring their children to a bookstore and hopefully instill a lifelong love of reading. Bookstores across the country - including some in Medford and Andover, MA - particpated by scheduling family-friendly activities. Organizers hope to make this event a yearly occurance.
• A new social networking site called Figment is aimed at literary-minded teens. The project, which launched on Monday December 6th, allows teen writers and readers to post their own writing - whether it's a novel in progress, short stories, poems or more - and then give and receive feedback from the community of users. Approximately 4,000 teens registered as Figment users in the first day. 
• Scholastic, which is the largest publisher and distributor of children's books, recently released a list of the top 10 trends in children's literature for 2010. Among the popular trends are a growing young adult audience (thanks to the many adults who read YA), an increased interest in both dystopian fiction and mythology-based stories, more books in a diary or journal style and less attention on picture books.

Any big stories you think we missed? Let us know in the comments!

A Saturday with Books

What do Kathryn Lasky, Bill Bryson, Elizabeth Alexander, Dennis Lehane, Joyce Carol Oates and The Max have in common? We'll all be at the 2nd Annual Boston Book Festival on Saturday, October 16, 2010.

From 10am to 6pm in historic Copley Square, book enthusiasts from all over the city and region will be able to meet some of their favorite authors, attend discussions and lectures and have books signed. There are events scheduled throughout the day, with something for readers for all ages, including children.

All day long, the Story Place will be open in the Boston Public Library. Here, kids and families can make an art project, meet favorite authors and play with costumed characters. In the morning, there will be a chance to have some Fun with Fancy Nancy and, in the afternoon, Jeff Kinney, author of the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will give the Kids' Keynote. For middle grade and YA readers, there will be a panel on social justice stories featuring children's authors (including local Cambridge author Mitali Perkins) and a YA Writer's discussion featuring Kristin Cashore (Graceling), Kathryn Lasky (The Guardians of Ga'Hoole) and Francisco Stork (Marcelo in the Real World).

The Max will be there for it all. We will have an exhibitors booth in Copley Square, where we'll be handing out copies of the 2010 The Courage of Boston's Children book and encouraging people to sign up for our mailing list for a chance to win a pack of children's books.

Visit the Boston Book Festival website for more information. We hope to see you there!

October Literacy News

As we continue to work on our plans for the 20th anniversary and prepare for both the Boston Book Festival and the 7th Annual Take It to the Max, here's a brief look at a few of the literacy and education related news items for October:

• October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Education.com has numerous resources for parents, teachers and educators, while middle-grade and YA author Mitali Perkins has compiled a list of MG and YA novels that specifically tackle the subject of bullying. 
• If you plan on attending the Boston Book Festival on October 16th, consider participating in One City, One Story. An initiative of the BBF, One City, One Story is encouraging Boston and Massachusetts readers to come together to read a short story by a well-known Boston author, culminating in a large-scale group discussion at the BBF. Organizers chose Tom Perrotta's "The Smile on Happy Chang's Face" as this year's selection. BBF is even giving away free copies - to find out more, visit their website.
• For teachers and parents/guardians looking for ways to encourage readers, there's a new resource available: Roger Hutton and Margaret Parravano, editor in chief and executive editor, respectively at the Horn Book Guide, have recently published A Family of Readers: A Book Lover's Guide to Children's and Young Adult Literature. Divided into sections by age, it offers essays from notable authors and many suggested book titles, both for families to read together and for older children to read on their own. 
• Nominations are now being accepted for the 2010 Children's and Young Adult Blogger's Literary Awards (CYBILs). Anyone can nominate a book in one of 12 categories, including middle-grade fiction, young adult fiction, science-fiction and fantasy, graphic novels and non-fiction. Nominations will be accepted until October 15th. Finalists will be announced in January 2011, with the winners named in February 2011. 
• Students with a flair for writing have a chance to see their original stories appear on Mrs. P's Story Time website, a site dedicate to children's literacy. The writing contest is open to students age 4-13 and will be accepting submissions until October 15th. Winning stories will be read aloud by Mrs. P herself and the winning students will receive a bound and illustrated copy of their story. For more details, please visit the website. 

The End of an Adventure

Almost exactly - to the day - one year after a very unusual and completely amazing serial story began, the Exquisite Corpse Adventure came to an end at the National Book Festival. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Katherine Paterson read aloud - with help from other Exquisite Corpse authors - from the final installment, which she also wrote. It was fitting ending for a story that had started, 12 months ago, with the first chapter written by the previous National Ambassador Jon Scieszka.

For the past year, new chapters of this exciting story appeared every two weeks, with readers following plucky twin heroes Joe and Nancy Sloppy as they search for the truth about their real parents, fight off aliens and evil clowns, and try to put the robot Roberta back together.

Each chapter built upon the last, but took the story in new directions as each author added his or her own flair to the characters and situations. 20 well-known children's authors participated in the story, including both Ambassadors Scieszka and Paterson, Susan Cooper, M.T. Anderson, Shannon Hale, Kate DiCamillo, and Lemony Snicket.

The full story is available on the Library of Congress' Read.gov website, along with games for each chapter, educational resources, and videos from the Exquisite Corpse Write It, Film It video contest. Each chapter is also available in audio format. Publisher's Weekly has some photos from the National Book Festival read-aloud event as well. 

 

A Month for Learning

Most people think of September are the "back to school" month, but there's a lot more that goes on as well. First and foremost, September is National Literacy Month, with the United Nation's International Literacy Day celebrated on September 8th.

The month-long celebration of literacy gives people the chance to call attention to and embrace the vital importance of literacy in our lives. Schools, libraries and literacy organizations across the country will host a variety of events, all designed to highlight the essential skills (the ability to read, write and speak in English) needed for success. The National Institute for Literacy has created a National Literacy Directory, which lets anyone search for literacy and education programs in their local area. As part of National Literacy Month, the Library of Congress will host the National Book Festival on September 25th on the National Mall.

September is also Library Card Sign-Up Month. Hosted by the American Library Association and celebrated by libraries across the country, Library Card Sign-Up month is the perfect time to teach children about the wonders of a library and all of the information a library card can help unleash. Best of all, library cards - and the books you can obtain with one - are free, which is something everyone can get excited about. For more information about library cards, visit the ALA's website or your local library (Bostonians can visit the BPL here). 

Whatever and however you choose to celebrate in September, it is definitely a month for learning. 

[Looking for "back to school" book suggestions? Check out The Max's post from last year.]

The Future of Reading?

First, there were books. Then there were books that could speak and books that let you choose the ending. Then, some people started reading on computers. This gave way to the Kindle and Nook. These days, the process of reading is no longer as simple as opening a book and seeing the words on the page. Technology has made all sorts of advances and reading is now changing as well.

A recent article in School Library Journal outlines the launch of a new web-based approach to reading that gives children and teens a direct say in how the story turns out. The online reading experience (and eventual book) from Simon and Schuster teams author Jodi Lynn Anderson with the the interactive nature of the Internet.

The online story, Loser/Queen, is a partnership between Anderson, the publisher, JCPenny (as a sponsor and advertiser) and online community Living Social. The story will be presented on the web in weekly installments (the first seven chapters are available) and how the story continues will be determined, in part, by reader feedback. Teens will have the chance to vote on different options for continuing the story. Once the novel is finished, they'll also get a say in the book's cover design. The final book will be available online and, eventually, in paperback and e-reader formats available for purchase.

It's a unique spin on the "choose your own adventure" stories of the past and a way of blending reading with the tech-savvy so many kids have today. In many ways, this interactive collaboration is an experiment to see how the process of reading is changing and how to use the resources of the Internet to engage more kids in the act of reading. Though it's unlikely that "old-fashioned" paper books will go out of style any time soon, the Loser/Queen book shows that reading itself is changing with the times.

Their America, 2010

On Friday June 18th, about 30 ninth-grade students at the Jeremiah Burke High School in Dorchester presented their final projects from The Courage of My Convictions program to their teachers, fellow classmates and friends from The Max. These students, led by teacher Caitlin McGrail, read from essays they had written about their America, following the example of LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman from one of the 9th grade anchor texts, Our America.

Similar to the students who presented last year, the students were asked to take a "long and hard look at their communities," describing in detail the sights, smells, sounds and feel of their homes, neighborhoods, towns and cities. Once again, we were honored to hear stories about Boston's neighborhoods that were honest, realistic, heartfelt, moving and hopeful. Some students also prepared additional components, ranging from maps, posters and photo collages of their homes to Power Point presentations, complete with music and animation.

In the coming weeks, we hope to be able to share excerpts from these essays with you on this blog, as we did last year. We provided the students with stenographers' notebooks and pencils, to encourage them to continue to observe and write about the world around them, to be reporters for their America, just like LeAlan and Lloyd.

"On even the darkest days in our beloved Boston, you remind me that there is hope for a brighter tomorrow. These texts have ignited an academic spark in all of you that I have have created a generation of young citizens who are aware of your ability to have a voice in your community. Thank you for your courage in sharing your America."

-Ms. McGail's letter to her 2010 ELA 9 students, in the preface to their collection of essays and poems

LAL 2010 Winners

A diverse range of authors, including Francisco Jimenez, Laura Ingalls Wilder, J.D. Salinger and Dr. Seuss were the imaginary recipients of letters written by young readers across the country in the 2009-2010 Letters About Literature contest.

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, along with Target, hosts this annual writing contest, which asks students across the country to reflect on the books and/or authors who have had a significant impact upon their lives. Emphasis is placed on creativity and originality; the students are asked to be reflective, rather than critical or analytical.

Two national winners were chosen from each of the three competition levels (Grades 4-6, Grades 7-8, and Grades 9-12). Along with the designation of National Winner, the students received a $500 Target gift card and a $10,000 grant for their local or school library. 12 additional students (four in each level) were chosen as National Honorable Mentions.

The 2010 winners come from a variety of states and towns, including some local towns. One Honorable Mention student in the Grades 4-6 level was from the Boston suburb of Needham. The contest is open to public, private, independent, and religious schools as well as homeschooled students. According to the organizers, more than 69,000 students participated this year, a significant jump up from last year. 

In the fall of 2010, the LAL reading-writing contest will once again begin to accept submissions for the 2011 contest. For more information, please visit the Letters About Literature website.

Book Expo America

Today until Thursday, booksellers, publishers, librarians, authors and avid book lovers alike will gather at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City to celebration the premier North American publishing event, Book Expo America.

More than 500 authors and 1500 exhibitors will be in attendance to partake in numerous conference sessions, special events, author interviews, an exhibition hall and more. The opening night keynote will be delivered by Barbara Streisand, who will talk about her new book and answer questions about being a first time author.

Other events throughout the three days include a Children's Book and Author Breakfast; an Adult Book and Author event, hosted by Jon Stewart; interviews and panels on topics ranging from Dystopian Fiction and Thrillers to the Guys of Guys Read and Obama Book Club selections; a New Title Showcase, highlighting the newest books making their debuts this year; several author autographing sessions and so much more.

BEA will also offer a Librarian Lounge, an Indie Press Lounge, a reading room with ARC's (advance reading copies) of anticipated books, and a special focus on the latest digital advances in publishing, including the newest trends in eBooks and eReaders.

Among the hundreds of authors attending will be well-known children's and YA authors Laurie Halse Anderson, Libba Bray, Mitali Perkins, Melissa Marr, Rick Riordan, Cory Doctorow and former Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jon Scieszka.

BEA is one of the largest gatherings of book trade professionals, attracting up to 30,000 people over three days of events. Originally started as the American Booksellers Association Conference in 1902, BEA now draws an international audience for a globally recognized event that specializes in creating buzz for and launching the latest books and trends in publishing. Past participants have included Mark Twain (as the first official guest speaker in 1902), Eleanor Roosevelt, Ray Charles, Isabel Allende, Martin Luther King, and Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Carter and Clinton.

Announcing the 2010 Max Warburg Fellows

Earlier today, we posted our 50th archived courage essay written by a sixth-grade alumnus of the Courage Curriculum. Over the past six or so months, we've introduced you to a few of the Boston students who have discovered their ability to be courageous in a variety of ways and who have recognized the important role courage plays in their own lives and in the lives of others. The essays we've posted here are just some of the many students who have been honored with the title "Max Warburg Fellow" during the past 19 years.

And tomorrow, we will add 44 more students to that list.

The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum is proud to announce the 2010 Max Warburg Fellows. From more than 2,000 submitted essays, our volunteer judges chose 44 students from 35 schools in Boston and the surrounding communities as this year's Fellows. These 44 students will have their courage essay published in the 19th volume of The Max's signature publication, The Courage of Boston's Children.

The Max Warburg Fellows will also be honored at our annual awards luncheon tomorrow, held at Northeastern University, where the Courage Curriculum is in residence and a proud partner of the Stony Brook Initiative. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Courage Curriculum Founder and President Stephanie Warburg and leadership from Northeastern University will hand out medals to the Fellows. We're also thrilled to have Jacqueline C., a 2004 Fellow, as our guest speaker. Jacqui is an exceptional young woman with a story sure to inspire this year's students.

From the 50 students we've highlighted on this blog and the many others of years past to the 44 students being honored tomorrow and the many more yet to come, The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum is proud to celebrate the courage of Boston's children.